You know that there are layers of dirt and rock lie beneath the surface you drive on, but would you guess that some roads are built on top of a special material (in addition to all the dirt and rocks)?

No, the stair-step design on the slope at right isn’t just for looks…
The “steps” are actually referred to as minibenches and they serve as an erosion and sediment control measure on slopes like the one in the photo (that happens to be the I-10 Marsh Station project, in case you were wondering).